Method of making door support housings



Nov. 14, 1961 R. l. SCHONITZER METHOD OF MAKING DOOR SUPPORT HOUSINGS Original Filed July 16, 1957 mmvron SCWON/TZER R Puaou'w Z United States Patent nice 3,9tl8,441 Patented Nov. 14, 1 961 Claims. (Cl. 113-116) This invention relates to door supports of the kind used between a vehicle door and its associated doorframe for preventing rattle and play therebetween when the door is in its. closed position and, more particularly, the invention relates to a novel method for producing sheet metal housings such as housings suitable for door. supports of this kind.

This application is a division of original application Serial No. 672,330 filed July 16, 1957.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel method by .whichsheet metal housings, such as door support housings, of a strong and durable character can be produced rapidly and economically and. with a desired uniformity in such housings. Another object is to provide a novel method for producing housings of thekind having mounting flanges on opposite sides of an open guideway and a wedge block movable in the latter, and wherein the flanges and the wall portions of the guideway are formed by different portions of a one-piece housing blank.

. A further object is to provide such a novel method in which bendable tab projections are formed onthe intermediate portion of the'housing blank and provide a holding means for certain of the walls of the guideway.

Still another object is to provide a novel method for making housings of the kind above indicated, in which the shaping of the intermediate portion of the blank to form the housing portion containing the guideway, and-the moving of the tabs into holding relation to such walls of the guideway, are carried out as a single forming operation.

Additionally, this invention provides such a novel 26, and a wedge block 27 slidable in such guideway. The

method for producing housings of the character referred Y to above in which the housing blanks are in an end-connected relation -in a strip, and in which trimming of a formed housing and separation thereof from the strip are accomplished in one and the same die operation as that which shapes the intermediate portion of the blank to housing form and moves the tabs into holding relation to certain of the walls of the guideway.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent in the following detailed description, and in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a door support having a housing produced by the method of the present invention; I 7

FIG. 2 is a planview showing a strip of blanks for processing into" housings for door supports of the kind shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3" is a vertical longitudinal section taken through dieapparatus of the progressive type for use in such processing of the strip of blanks;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a partially formed condition of a door support housing being produced by this novel method;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the partially formed housing of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a similar end View showing the completed housing resulting'from the novel method.

In FIGfl of the drawing there is shown a door support 10 which comprises a sheet metal housing 25, produced by door support 10 also comprises laterally oppositely extending mounting flanges 29 located on opposite sides of the guideway and formed by portions of the housing 25. The flanges 29 are provided with holes 66 to accommodate attaching screws. a e p The door support 10 is intended for mounting either on a doorframe or on a door, preferably the latter, for cooperation with an associated thrust portion or member for holding the door against rattle or chatter when the door is in its closed position. Usually the door support 10 is mounted on either an upper or lower edge wall, or both, of a swingable door as shown and described in said original application with the wedge block 27 facing toward and engageable with a thrust portion or member provided on the'doorframe. The guideway 26 of the door support 10 is defined by a pair of parallel side walls 34 and 35 and a top wall 36 of the housing 25. The guideway 26 also has end walls 37 and 38 which extend in a substantially right-angularly deflected relation to the top wall 36 and are formed by sheet metal lugs constituting integral extensions of the latter.

The housing 25 is also provided with pairs of holding tabs 40 and 41 located at the ends of the guideway 26 and lying against the end walls 37 and 38 of the latter. The pairs of tabs 40 and 41 are formed by substantially rightangularly deflected integral portions of the side walls 34 and 35 and, in this instance, these tabs lie against the exterior face of such end walls. The holding tabs 40 and 41 are preferably secured to the end walls 37 and 38 as by weld junctions 43. I

The door suppo'rtltl also comprises a rod 44 extending in and along the guideway 26 and on which the wedge block 27 is shiftably mounted. Therod '44 is mounted in the housing 25 by having its ends .attached to the end walls provided with an opening 47 through which the rod 44 extends, and is also provided with a counterbore 4-8 A compression spring 49 disposed around the rod 44 has one end thereof seated against the end wall 37 of the guide- Way and its other end seated against the wedge block and extending into the counterbore 48.

The. wedge block 27 forms the thrust element of the door' support ltl and projects from the guideway 26 for supporting engagement with the support portion or member of the associated structure. The exposed or bottom surface of the wedge block 27 is preferably inclined longitudinally of the guideway 26 and in a direction such that the block will have a wedging co-operation with the support portion or member ofthe associated structure when the door is moved to its closed position. During the final closing movement of. the door, the wedge block 27 will be shiftable along the guideway 26 in opposition to the spring 49 and, when the door is fully closed, the wedge block will usually occupy an intermediate position along the guide- As produced by the method of the present invention, the housing .25 of the door support 10 is a one-piece sheet metal member made from a sheet metal blank by operations which will now be described. In producing the housing 25 a row of the blanks 60 is provided in a connected relation in the form of a strip 61, as shown in FIG. 2, and the individual blanks of the strips are subjected in succession to novel forming operations which are carried out in suitable die mechanism such as the progressive type of die mechanism 63 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 of the drawing rep-resents the leading end of the strip 61 andshows three housing blanks 60 60' and 60, on which progressive operations have been carried out.

The blank 60 represents an initial form of the housing blanks of the stripand shows the body portion 64 of the blank as being a flat portion extending longitudinally of the strip 61 and having its ends integrally connected with the ends of adjacent blanks by neck portions 65. The end portions of the body portion 64 of the blank 60* will ultimately form the mounting flanges 29 of the housing 25 and are provided with punched holes 66 which accommodate the attaching screws mentioned above.

The intermediate section of the body portion 64 of the blank will ultimately form the walls of the guideway 26 and the areas which form such walls can be identified in the blank 60 with relation to the bend lines 67 and 68 shown on this blank. The portion of the blank lying between the bend lines 67 forms the top wall 36 of the guideway 26 and the portions of the blank lying between the bend lines 67 and 68 form the side walls 34 and 35 of the guideway.

The intermediate portion of the blank 60 is provided with outwardly extending integral coplanar portions in the form of the oppositely extending lugs 37 and 38 and the pairs of oppositely extending tabs 40 and 41 The lugs 37 and 38 ultimately form the end walls 37 and 38 of the guideway 26, and the pairs of tabs 40 and 41 ultimately form the pairs of holding tabs 40 and 41 described above. The lugs 37 and 38 have punched openings 7 therein for the mounting of the rod 44 in the end walls 37 and 33 of the guideway. The pairs of tabs 40 and 41 have partially sheared nib projections 71 thereon for use in forming the weld junctions 43.

The blank 60* of the strip 61 is produced from the blank 60 by a forming operation carried out on the latter, by which the tabs 40 and 41 have been deflected to a substantially right-angle position relative to the plane of the blank. The bending of the tabs 40 and 41 to this right-angle position is accomplished by bends formed therein on bend lines 72, which lie outwardly of the parallel side edges 73 and 74 of the blank 60*.

The blank 60 of the strip 61 reprments the shape of the housing blank after a further forming operation has been carried out on the blank 60*. By this further forming operation, the lugs 37 and 38 are deflected to a substantially right-angle position relative to the plane of the blank and, as represented in the blank 60 of FIG. 2, the blending of the lugs 37 and 30 to this right-angle position is accomplished by the bending thereof on bend lines 75 which are substantially coincident with the parallel side edges 73 and 74 of the blanks 60 and 60.

When the housing blank has assumed the condition of the blank 60, it is ready for the shaping thereof into the housing 25 and, during this shaping operation, a plurality of transverse bends are formed in the blank on the parallel bend lines 67 and 68. The formation of this group of bends in the blank 60 results in the partially formed housing 25 of FIGS. 4 and 5, in which the guideway 26 has now been defined by the side walls 34 and 35, the ends walls 37 and 38, and the top wall 36. The partially formed housing 25* now also includes the oppositely extending flanges 29. By the shaping of the blank 60 into the partially formed housing 25, the bending operations performed on the bend lines 67 and 68 cause the previously deflected tabs 40 and 4-1 to assume the position of the tabs 40 and 41 of FIGS. 4 and 5, in which these tabs have moved into an overlying relation to the end walls 37 and 38 of the guideway with the tabs of each pair extending toward each other from opposite sides of the guideway.

FIG. 6 of the drawing shows the completed housing 25 which has resulted from -a further shaping of the partially formed housing 25 During this further shaping, the flanges 29 have been made to assume a substantially true right angle position relative to the side walls 34 and 35. The holding tabs 40 and 41 are now ready to be pressed firmly against the end walls 37 and 38 and this can be accomplished either during the further forming operation just above described for completing the housing 25 or can be accomplished during the forming of the weld junctions 43. The completed housing 25 is then ready for the mounting of the rod 44 therein with the guideblock 27 and the spring 49 assembled on the latter, to constitute the door support 10.

The die mechanism 63 of FIG. 3 is here shown as oomprising a stationary lower base plate 77 having a platen 7S thereon and a pair of die punches 79 and 80 which are movable toward and away from the platen. The die mechanism 63 is also provided with a holding or stripper plate 31 which overlies the platen 78 such that the adjacent working faces 82 and 83 of the platen and stripper plate will apply clamping pressure to the strip 61 when the die mechanism is actuated to its closed condition shown in FIG. 3. The upper working surface 82 of the platen 78 is formed, in part, by the top wall of a guide rib 05 carried by the platen and along which the strip 61 is slidably movable with the lugs and tabs of the strip projecting laterally beyond the edges of such guide rib.

FIG. 3 of the drawing shows the housing blank MN on the guide rib 35 and being pressed against the top surface 82 thereof by the working face 83 of the stripper plate 81. FIG. 3 also shows the die punch 79 in the act of bending the lugs 37 and 38 to their deflected position of the blank 60 of FIG. 2. For accomplishing this operation, the die punch 79 is provided with a forked portion 86 having a pair of downwardly extending arms 87 which move through suitable openings in the stripper plate 81 so as to engage and deflect the lugs 37 and 38 downwardly alongside the side faces of the guide rib 85.

As shown in FIG. 3, the punch 80 is movable through openings 89 md 90 of the stripper plate 81 and the platen 78 and co-operates with the platen for shearing the blank 60 from the strip 61. During such shearing of this blank fnorn the strip 61, the cutting action takes place along the transverse shear lines 92 and 93 of FIG. 2. The shearing of the strip on the line 92 severs the blank 60 from the strip 61, and the shearing of the strip along the line 93 cuts the scrap piece of metal 94 away from the leading end of this blank.

As is further shown in FIG. 3, the die mechanism 63 includes a stationary lower die member or stake 95 having a base portion mounted in a recess 96 of the base plate 77 and a flat stem 97 extending upwardly through a passage 98 of a die pressure plate 99. The stem 97 is of a cross-sectional shape corresponding substantially with the quadrangular plan shape of the guideway 26 of the bousingZS, and forms a stationary die portion or mandrel against which the blank 60 is moved and shaped by the die punch 80.

For the shaping co-operation of the punch 80 with the stem 97, the lower end of the punch is provided with a die recess 101 of a size and shape to telescope over the upper end of the stem and such as to correspond in size and shape with the size and shape of the exterior of the portion of the partially formed blank 25- which contains the guideway 26. The lower end of the punch 80 is provided with fiat areas 102 on opposite sides of the recess 101 and which co-operate with the flat upper working face 103 of the pressure plate 99 for clamping the flanges 29 of the housing blank against the latter.

The pressure plate 99 is shiftable in the opening 90' of the platen 78 and is downwardly movable in this opening by the downward working stroke of the punch 80 in opposition to a group of compression springs 104. The springs 104 lift the pressure plate 99 and return the same to a position substantially flush with the surface 82 during the upward opening stroke of the punch 80. Another such group of springs 105 bears against the upper side of the stripper plate 81 and causes the latter to perform a desired holding and stripping action on the work stn'p g2; during the opening movement of the punches 79 and The punch 80 is preferably also provided with a. knock out plunger or pin 106 which is downwardly, movable in the punch under the action of the spring 107 for ejecting the housing blank 25 from the recess 101 of the punch during the upward opening movement of the latter. The housing blank 25, as a result of shaping operation performed thereon by the punch 80 in co-operation with the pressure plate 99 and the mandrel 97, is of the form de scribed above and ready for a subsequent final shaping into the completed housing 25. r

The wedge block 27, the rod 44 and the spring 49 can be readily assembled into the housing 25 thus produced to form the completed door support 10.

From the accompanying drawings-and the foregoing detailed description it will now be readily understood that this invention provides a novel method forproducing housings for door supports of the kind having a wedge block movable in a guideway. With the novel method provided by this invention, a door support of the guideway type can be rapidly and economically produced and will be of a rugged and durable form capable of being readily mounted on a door or doorframe of a vehicle and will be capable of rendering trouble-free service throughout a prolonged period.

Although the novel method has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it will be understood, of course, that the present invention is not to be regarded as limited correspondingly in scope, but includes all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of making door support housings of the kind comprising a body portion defined by pairs of opposed side and end walls and having an open guideway therein on one side thereof, and external substantially coplanar mounting flanges on said body portion and, projecting therefrom in laterally opposite directions on opposite sides of the guideway opening; the said method comprising the steps of providing a flat longitudinally eXtending strip of end-connected fiat metal housing blanks each having lugs lying in the plane of the blank and projecting, in a direction transversely of the strip, from opposite edges of the intermediate portion of the blank; deflecting the lugs of the lead-blank of the strip out of the plane of said lead-blank and to a substantially 90-degree position by bending the lugs on bend lines substantially coincident with said opposite edges to form walls which, in a corn pleted housing, comprise said end walls; confining end portions of said lead-blank in a substantially coplanar relation between opposed co-operating portions of a closably movable die means to comprise said mounting flanges; shaping the intermediate portion of said leadblank into said body portion by bending said intermediate portion on pairs of substantially parallel transverse bend lines, while said end portions are thus confined, and thereby swinging spaced sections of said intermediate portion in a closing direction toward each other to form said opposed side walls; and severing the completed housing from the lead-end of said strip.

2. The method of making housings as define-d in claim 1 wherein said confining of said end portions, said shaping of said intermediate portion and the severing of the completed housing from said strip are carried out during a single forming operation by a single closing actuation of said die means.

3. The method of making door support housings of the kind comprising a body portion defined by pairs of opposed side and end walls and having an open guideway therein on one side thereof, and external substantially coplanar mounting flanges on said body portion and projecting therefrom in laterally opposite directions on opposite sides of the guideway opening; the said method comprising the steps of providing a flat metal blank having lugs and tabs lying in the plane of the blank and projecting,

opposite edges of the intermediate portion of the blank;

in a direction transversely of the blank, from said lugs comprising a pair of lugs, and said tabs comprising pairs of tabs-connected with spaced sections of said intermediate portion; deflecting said lugs out of the plane of said blank and to a substantially -degree position by bending the lugs on bend lines substantially coincident with said opposite edges to pleted housing, comprise said end walls; deflecting said tabs out of the plane of the blank and to a substantially SO-degree position by bending the tabs on bend lines ofiset outwardly of the bend lines of said lugs; confining end portions of said blank in a substantially coplanar relation between opposed cooperating portions of a closably movable die means to comprise saidmounting flanges; shaping the intermediate portion of said blank into said body portion by bending said intermediate portion'on pairs of substantially parallel transverse bend lines, while said end portions are thus confined, and thereby swinging said spaced sections of said intermediate portion in a closing direction toward each other to form said opposed side walls; and moving said tabs into an overlying holding relation to said end walls by said swinging of said spaced sections.

4. The method of making door support housings of the kind comprising a body portion defined by pairs of opposed side and end walls and having an' open guideway therein on one side thereof, and external substantially coplanar mounting flanges on said body portion and projecting therefrom in laterally opposite directions on opposite sides of the guideway opening; the said method comprising the steps of providing a flat longitudinally extending strip of end-connected fiat metal housing blanks each having lugs and tabs lying in the plane of the blank and projecting, in a direction transversely of the strip, from opposite edges of the intermediate portion of the blank; said lugs comprising a pair of lugs, and said tabs comprising pairs of tabs connected with spaced sections of said intermediate portion; deflecting the lugs of the lead-blank of the strip out of the plane of said lead-blank and .to a substantially 90-degr'ee position by bending the lugs on bend lines substantially coincident with said opposite edges to form walls which, in a completed housing, comprise said end walls; deflecting said tabs out of the plane of the blank and to a substantially QO-degree position by bending the tabs on bend lines ofiset outwardly of the bend lines of said lugs; confining end portions of said lead-blank in a substantially coplanar relation between opposed co-operating portions of a closably movable die means to comprise said mounting flanges; shaping the intermediate portion of said lead-blank into said body portion by bending said intermediate portion on pairs of substantially parallel transverse bend lines, while said end portions are thus confined, and thereby swinging said spaced, sections of said intermediate portion in a closing direction toward each other to form said opposed side walls; moving said tabs into an overlying holding relation to said end walls by said swinging of said spaced sections; and severing the completed housing from the lead-end of said strip.

5. The method of making door support housings of the kind comprising a body portion defined by pairs of opposed side and end walls and having an open guideway therein on one side thereof, and external substantially 00- I planar mounting flanges on said body portion and projecting therefrom in laterally opposite directions on opposite sides of the guideway opening; the said method comprising the steps of providing a flat metal blank having lugs and tabs lying in the plane'of the blank and projecting, in a direction transversely of the blank, from opposite edges of the intermediate portion of the blank; said lugs comprising a pair of lugs, and said tabs comprising pairs of tabs connected with spaced sections of said intermediate portion; deflecting said lugs out of the plane of said blank and to a substantially 90-degree position by bending the lugs on bend lines substantially coincident with said opposite edges to form walls which, in the completed housing, comprise said end walls; deflecting said tabs out of the form walls which, in a complane of the blank and to a substantially 90-degree position by bending the tabs on bend lines offset outwardly of the bend lines of said lugs; confining end portions of said blank in a substantially coplanar relation between opposed co-openating portions of a cl'osably movable die means to comprise said mounting flanges; shaping the intermediate portion of said blank into said body per tion by bending said intermediate portion on pairs of substantially parallel transverse bend lines, while said end portions are thus confined, and thereby swinging said spaced sections of said intermediate portion in a closing direction toward each other to form said opposed side walls; and moving said tabs into an overlying holding relation to said end walls by said swinging of said spaced sections; said confining of said end portions, said shaping S of said intermediate portion and said moving of said tabs into said overlying holding relation being carried out during a single forming operation by a single closing actuation of said die means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 27, 1928 

